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Net Gains (Dec 30, 97) |
Looks like Intel is not generating enough revenue selling their
computer chips, and has decided to give Barbie some competition
this year. The company is selling dolls of the bunny-suited clean-room
workers featured in its ads. The 8-inch-high Intel BunnyPeople
dolls come in pink, yellow, lavender, aqua blue, and green, with
a price tag of $6.99 each.
For all of us who spend a lot of our Internet time searching
for and downloading software, the good news is that there's a
compilation - Most Popular Downloads 1997 (http://www.hotfiles.com/hot/top1997.html)
which boasts of over 1,700 titles in 70 different categories.
You definitely won't want to miss that !
The activity on the Internet scene in India in 1997 has by and
large been passive as compared to Net events worldwide, but we've
made a start anyway. The number of Internet users has doubled,
with a greater increase expected in 1998, what with cut-throat
competition foreseen after the entry of private Internet Service
Providers in India, and a target of getting 8 million Internet
users in the next five years. VSNL has woken up, and has been
sending frantic emails to keep existing customers from straying
to the new entrants. There were emails asking subscribers for
feedback on customer service, and informing them of how VSNL was
slashing tariffs come January 1998. In a move to increase the
usage of TCP/IP accounts, the new rates for slabs of 500, 250,
and 100 hours are now Rs. 10,000, Rs. 6,500, and Rs. 3000 respectively.
This email, circulated last week was a far cry from the one sent
to subscribers in Feb. talking about the proposed tariffs that
shocked a lot of users. If you remember, the signature campaign
at ApnaNet asked subscribers to send in their feedback and forwarded
the same to VSNL. Amidst many charges raised against ApnaNet,
the site was shut down. One wonders how different VSNLs reaction
would have been, if private ISPs already in India !
VSNL's suppressive reaction was also displayed time and again
after ShellSock was launched. ShellSock was a piece of software
developed by Indians that gained popularity for two main reasons.
Reason #1 was that it converted a shell account into a virtual
TCP/IP account. The other reason was that it was good software
available for free. ShellSock was used primarily by students,
and VSNL slowly started making it very difficult for users to
use ShellSock. Till the developers found a work-around. So much
for VSNL.
Feb 1997 saw the launch of Goa-Interactive.com, a travel site
that boasts of online reservations, and a find-a-friend database.
Till May 1997, cricket fanatics logged onto the Net had only one
cricket site to go to. Then khel.com was launched, positioning
itself as the only Indian sports website, starting off with a
focus on cricket. Then there was EducationTimes.com launched in
July to mainly cater to the education scene in India. NRISearch.com
was the first online directory of NRIs in Asia (including the
middle-east) launched on Independence Day 1997. The first and
the last were sites done by Netventures.
So much for the Net happenings in 1997 in India. Incidentally,
interspersed throughout today's column were hints and answers
to an exclusive Net Gains online quiz. There are 10 Tshirts and
40 CD ROMs (with offline surfing shareware) to up for grabs, courtesy
Internet company Netventures (http://www.netventures.net). So
surf your way to the Contest link at my website, and
win bigtime ! And, oh yes, have a great new year !